Do they heartily

and Condition by this. and steadily endeavour to approve themfelves to God by an innocent, and virtuous, and religious Course of Life? Do they make a Confcience of keeping all God's Commandments as far as they know them, and as far as they are able to keep them? Do they indulge themselves willingly and knowingly in no Action, or in no Course of Life that their Confciences tell them is difpleafing to God? If they can fatisfy themselves that they do this, they have all the Reafon in the World to be affured that they love God in that Degree that he will accept; and that whether they have or have not the Comfort of it here, they will certainly have the Reward of it hereafter.

But Fourthly, and Lastly, There is one Thing more to be added to the full Explication of this Precept in my Text, besides what I have faid; and that is, that the Love of God we are speaking of, implies fuch a Degree of Intensenefs, as that whoever pretends to love God, must have so great a Regard to the Favour of God, and so great a Dread of his Displeasure, that he would not for any Confideration in the World, run the Hazard of forfeiting the one, or incurring the other.

And this is that which I take to be the full Meaning of that Phrafe; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind,

VOL. IV.

It is an idle thing to go about to distinguish nicely, about the Sense of these several Words. This undoubtedly is the Meaning of all: That we should cleave entirely to God with all the Powers of our Souls and Bodies: We should endeavour to ferye him with every Faculty that he hath given us: We fhould not give up our felves to him by halves, dividing our felves between God and the World; but all other Interests, all other Confiderations muft yield, where God and our Love to him are concerned.

The plain Englife of all is, that we muft love God above all Things; that we muft mind his Service above all other Concernments; that we must preserve our Duty to him intire and inviolable, whatever come of our other Affairs. And if it fhould fo happen that our worldly Profit, or Pleafures, or Interefts, are inconfiftent with our Love to God, we muft quit them all rather than depart from the Laws of our heavenly Father.

And this is that which our Saviour hath told us, in the 10th of St. Mark (with which I conclude this Point and this Difcourfe) He that loveth Father or Mother, more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth Son or Daughter, more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that taketh not his Cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. Or, as he expreffeth Luke xiv. 26. If any Man come to Me, and hate not his Father, and his Mother,

Mother, his Wife, and Children, Brethren, and Sifters, yea, and his own Life alfo, he cannot be my Difciple. Not that a Man ought to hate any of thefe, but he ought to love them all lefs than Jefus Chrift: He ought to poftpone them; he ought to flight, and forfake, and abandon them whenever he cannot keep them, and preferve his Love, his Duty, his Fidelity to God. Thus much for this time.

O God, who haft prepared for them that love Thee, fuch good Things as fafs Man's UnderStanding; pour into our Hearts fuch Love towards Thee, that we loving Thee above all Things, may obtain thy Promife, which exceeds all that we can defire, thro' Jefus Chrift our Lord. To whom, &c.

196

SERMON IX.

MATT. XXII. 37, 38, 39, 40.

37. Fefus faid unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. 38. This is the firft and great Commandment. 39. And the fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy felf.

40. On these two Commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

I

BEGUN to treat on this 'Text the last Lord's Day, and the Mcthod I proposed was;

Firfi, To give fome Account

what is meant by loving God with all our

Heart, and Soul, and Mind.

Secondly,

Secondly, To fhew in what Respects, or upon what Grounds, this Love of God is the firft and greatest of the Commandments.

Thirdly, To make fome Inferences from this Propofition of our Saviour, that to love God with all the Heart, and Soul, is the first and greatest of the Commandments.

Fourthly, To obferve fome practical Cafe about the Love of God.

As to the first of these Points, what it is to love God, with all our Hearts, and Souls, and Minds; I fhewed you that it must neceffarily comprize in it these four Things.

Firft, That we have a great and just Efteem of God.

Secondly, That we have an earnest Defire to be made Partakers of his Perfections.

Thirdly, That we heartily endeavour to recommend our felves to his Favour, by doing fuch Things as are pleafing and acceptable to him.

Fourthly, That we fo far dread his Difpleasure, that we would not for any worldly Confideration incur it.

On these Things I dwelt the last Lord's Day, and therefore fhall not now enlarge upon them, but proceed to the second general Point of my propofed Method, and that is, to fhew in what Refpect, or upon what Accounts, this Precept of loving God is the firft and greatest Commandment.

Now I fay, it is fo, and must be accounted fo, for thefe following Reafons: